Humanities 101 Community Programme (Hum)

As the first community programme of its kind in Canada, Hum offers four free university-level courses with people who are passionate about learning, and live with low incomes in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) and surrounding areas. They work to overcome obstacles and roadblocks which are financial, educational, institutional, governmental, health-related and social.

Hum offers the following:

Four core courses on UBC’s Point Grey/Musqueam campus: Hum101, Hum201, Writing101 and Writing201 taught by volunteer university teachers and supported by university students

Bus tickets to get to and from campus, gift certificates to eat at the SUB before classes, childcare funding as needed, school supplies, all reading materials, dictionaries, and UBC cards which give access to the UBC Library system and other university amenities

Relevant interdisciplinary approaches to critical and creative thinking across the humanities, arts and social sciences

Free public programmes in DTES and Downtown South community centres that are initiated and run by alumni and students, and open to everyone

Ongoing engagement from amongst its 820 alumni as volunteers and members of Hum’s Steering Committee

As a result of their experiences, some Hum graduates enter university full-time while many remain active in their communities by leading educational programmes and volunteering in the DTES and Downtown South. Other alumni go on study in practical areas like drug and alcohol counselling to help others in difficult situations.

Join us in supporting life-long learning and accessible university education.

“It was like my soul woke up when I wrote stories about my painful past. Writing gave me my freedom. The Hum Programme was where I found the confidence to write my stories, stories that set me free in the context that I inherited.

In 2014, I was accepted to the Writing101 course. I completed Writing101, and Hum101 the following year. I’ve now done Hum201, and have been a volunteer student mentor in Writing201.

My younger children saw me go through these steps to be a better writer. And they have learned never to give up on their dreams. It took a lot of hard work, but helping to rebuild my confidence was worth it.”